Buffalo Bills And Kyle Williams Agree To A Contract Extension

Kyle Williams’ hard work for the past few years have not gone unnoticed after the Buffalo Bills defensive lineman agreed to a contract extension Friday.

According toESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter it is a six-year, $39 million deal with $17 million guaranteed.

Williams will become one of the NFL’s top-paid defensive lineman thanks to this deal, as his new deal is similar to the five-year, $40 million dealNew England Patriot defensive tackleVince Wilfork reached in March 2010. Williams had two years left on his contract, with the extension locking him up through the 2016 season.

He’ll average between $7.5 million and $8.2 million a year depending on if he meets all the contract incentives.

Williams’ agent Albert Elias said “He’s real happy to remain a Bill. Three contracts in five years shows their commitment to winning, and that’s exciting.”

Williams has been a starter since Bills drafted him in the fifth round out of LSU. He’s been the Bills’ most consistent defensive player, and is coming off a season in which he had a team-leading and career-best 5½ sacks.

Overall, Williams has 13½ sacks in 78 games.

The agreement comes at a time when the Bills are being criticized for being penny pinchers. According to NFL.com, the Bills had a payroll of a little more than $96 million two weeks ago, which put them more than $26 million below their adjusted salary cap number for this season. According to the report, only four teams had more space below their adjusted cap.

And that was after the team traded its top offensive threat, seven-year veteran receiver Lee Evans to Baltimore in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.

The Bills still have a lot of work ahead of them, as they have several key players entering the final year of their current contracts. But with the extension for Williams, management and the coaching staff can rest a little easier when it comes to its defensive line.